Four Important Tennis Updates from this week
1. Roger Federer’s ATP World Tour Finals defeat of Rafael Nadal
In the best possible end to this season, tennis greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal faced each other in the finals of the Barclay’s ATP World Tour Finals championships. While the encounter was not as intense as many of their previous matches,
both players pleased the crowd with astonishing rallies and phenomenal shots. When the last shot was fired, it was Federer who won the match. However, this does not affect Nadal’s season much; he has had a flawless run on the clay courts and took away three
Grand Slam titles in 2010. However, the Federer win is significantly encouraging for both his fans and himself. There is no doubt that teaming up with his coach, Paul Annacone, was a very wise move. Throughout the tournament, the Maestro played some of his
most high-level tennis. This also raises hopes and anticipations for the next year, when Nadal will be making a run to finish a “Rafa Slam”. However, if Roger Federer stays in form, he could make this achievement very difficult for the World Number 1.
2. Women’s Tennis Association Awards
This week, the Women’s Tennis Association listed the award winners of the season and the highest honour went to US Open champion Kim Clijsters. The WTA named the pro Player of the Year. While some fans argue that Serena Williams
might be more deserving of the honour with two Grand Slam titles, the fact remains that the former World Number 1 only participated in six tournaments this year. Clijsters also received the Player Service Award, and her compatriot Justine Henin was named the
Comeback Player of the Year. In addition to this Maria Sharapova received the Humanitation of the Year, Flavia Pennetta and Gisela Dulko were named the Doubles team of the Year and Petra Kvitova received the honour of Newcomer of the Year.
3. Robin Soderling parted ways with coach Magnus Norman
Earlier this week, Swede World Number 5 Robin Soderling and his coach Magnus Norman announced the end of their partnership as a team. The split was quite amicable; reportedly, Norman needed time off with his family and Soderling
required a full time coach. This parting of ways, however, may have a negative impact on Soderling’s game. He has benefited enormously from the tutelage of Magnus Norman, and any discrepancy in his game will no doubt be attributed to the loss of the coach.
However, Soderling is only 26 and on the rise; it will be easy for him to find an experienced coach who would be more than willing to help take Soderling’s game to a higher level.
4. Tennis Australia takes an admirable stance
Todd Woodbridge of Tennis Australia, also a former tennis pro, released a statement announcing that Aussie players Brydan Klein, Nick Lindahl and Dayne Kelly have been disqualified from participation in the December playoffs
for a chance to contest in the 2011 Australian Open. All three players have received these bans due to the “numerous accounts of unacceptable behaviour at tournaments both locally and internationally over the past few months.” This must have been a difficult
decision for Woodbridge and Tennis Australia to make, especially since these players have exhibited some real promise and these days, Lleyton Hewitt is the only Australian player in the ATP Top 100. However, at the same time, it is admirable that the organization
is taking such a stance on the matter, although it may harm the tennis development of the area. Hopefully, these three players will learn a lesson from this and turn their attitudes around to make their tennis-rich nation proud.
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